


Just Another Possibility

by northofthehouse



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Attempt at Humor, Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten is a Little Shit, Developing Relationship, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Implied Relationships, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Mark Lee Are Best Friends, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Mark Lee (NCT) is a Mess, Multi, Pre-Relationship, Suh Youngho | Johnny is a Good Brother, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:27:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25648033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/northofthehouse/pseuds/northofthehouse
Summary: “You spend too much time obsessing over that idol of yours. You need a boyfriend,” Ten tells him knowingly. When Mark ignores him, Ten turns to Johnny and says it again, “He needs a boyfriend.”“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here,” Mark grumbles, grumpy that it’s almost 3am where he is and Ten is bullying him anyway.“Don’t ignore me then,” Ten quips.“I wouldn’t ignore you if you had something actually important to say,” Mark replies, his tone an exact copy of all the times Donghyuck has said that exact same thing to him.
Relationships: Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Mark Lee/Nakamoto Yuta
Kudos: 93
Collections: Foreign NCT 1





	Just Another Possibility

**Author's Note:**

> Rated for language (and what is probably excessive use of Yuta's full name...)
> 
> Enjoy!

**11:11**

Mark stops what he’s doing, closes his eyes, crosses his fingers, and makes a wish.

 _I wish I had a tall, attractive boyfriend. And I wish that boyfriend was Nakamoto Yuta_.

Then, after a pause, _Amen_. Just in case.

It’s probably a little sacrilegious, but Mark’s stuck all by himself in Canada this summer and he’s getting desperate, okay?

His life these days consists of sleep, work as a busboy and dishwasher at a Chinese restaurant, staying up way too late to facetime his friends back in Korea, and more sleep. And it’s not that he doesn’t like being able to take four hour naps in the middle of the day or binge the entire new season of _Queer Eye_ on one of his days off. He’s just a little...lonely. Maybe.

“You spend too much time obsessing over that idol of yours. You need a boyfriend,” Ten tells him knowingly. When Mark ignores him, Ten turns to Johnny and says it again, “He needs a boyfriend.”

“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here,” Mark grumbles, grumpy that it’s almost 3am where he is and Ten is bullying him anyway.

“Don’t ignore me then,” Ten quips.

“I wouldn’t ignore you if you had something actually important to say,” Mark replies, his tone an exact copy of all the times Donghyuck has said that exact same thing to him.

Ten crosses his arms over his chest and huffs, offended. Johnny, finally looking up from whoever he’s texting--Mark would bet the cost of his entire tuition that it’s Lee Taeyong--laughs at them both and says, “You two are ridiculous.”

“It’s genetic,” Mark tells his step-brother, trying to sound sarcastic. The effect is ruined when he yawns so wide his eyes water.

“I gotta go,” he says then. “I work at 10.”

At that, Ten turns to Johnny with an exaggeratedly proud expression and says, “My baby’s all grown up and saving China!”

Mark doesn’t catch Johnny’s response because he decides it’s too late--or early--to be dealing with this sort of abuse. He hangs up on Dumb and Dumber, checks to make sure he’s set his alarm, and falls asleep almost as soon as his head hits the pillow.

NCT’s ”Touch” blasts through his phone and wakes him up way too soon, a mere five hours later, at 8am.

He can barely read his texts as he checks them, instead squinting at his too-bright phone screen while sifting through his notifications, dutifully replying to his mom’s reminder to eat breakfast and completely ignoring the 38 unread messages in the Dreamies group chat.

(“Why aren’t we the Babies?” Jisung wanted to know, when Donghyuck had first created the group chat and added the youngest seven members of their sprawling extended friend group.

While Jaemin and Jeno had cooed at their maknae’s general adorableness, Donghyuck had informed Jisung that having Donghyuck in their lives was a “dream come true,” so they shouldn’t question it.

Jisung still looked confused, but then Chenle had laughed at him, prompting an immediate wrestling match as Jisung defended his honor, and the matter was forgotten.)

Given Mark’s general state of “it’s too early too live” and “give me coffee or give me death,” it’s no surprise that he almost doesn’t notice the lone text from an unknown number.

It reads: “Uh, hey. Is this Mark?”

 _Yes_ , Mark thinks, _this is Mark. But who are you?_

He doesn’t respond though, mostly because he has breakfast to scavenge for and work to get to. Not because getting texts from numbers he doesn’t recognize freaks him out or anything. Definitely not because of that.

When he gets to work, his coworker takes one look at the bags under his eyes and comments, “Late night? You look like shit.”

“Gee thanks, Samuel,” Mark says snarkily. “I do so enjoy when someone younger than me points out that my age is showing.”

Samuel looks unimpressed. “You’re like two years older than me.”

“But twenty years wiser,” Mark points out, already ready for this day to be done.

Thankfully his eight hour shift passes pretty quickly after that. There’s a sort of peaceful repetition to Mark’s job, and he spends most of his time daydreaming about the dance practice Yuta dropped the day before and how amazing the Japanese singer’s most recent solo album was.

(“I don’t accept this,” Donghyuck told him when they were first getting into NCT. “Nakamoto Yuta? No way. Stan Moon Taeil, stan perfection.”

“Hey!” Mark had defended. “Yuta is funny and he sings!”

“Please,” Donghyuck said. “You just like his lips.”

Mark could feel the tips of his ears getting warm with embarrassment, but he didn’t bother correcting his best friend. After all, it’s not like Donghyuck was wrong.)

As he washes, elbows deep in soapy water, Mark flushes with pride when he thinks about how, when Yuta’s members had gone to do their military service, Yuta had enrolled in university instead of taking two years off.

As he buses, stacking towers of dirty dishes next to the sink, Mark bites his lip to keep from smiling when he thinks about the fact that, as of next semester, he and Yuta will be attending the same school.

As he makes his way home, forgoing the bus in favor of saving money and stretching his legs, Mark listens to NCT’s _Regular Irregular_ international album for the 127th time and almost forgets about the mystery text he’d gotten that morning.

Or, at least, he tries to. 

But the unknown person behind the number had texted him again about halfway through Mark’s shift with a text that read: “Sorry if this is weird but Ten gave me your number? He said you’d know why.”

That, plus a coy text from Ten himself that simply reads: “You’re welcome,” and Mark has a hard time pretending he’s not at least a little curious.

He’ll never admit this to Ten, obviously, but Mark decides there’s no harm in responding. There’s no need to be rude, right?

 **Mark:** Hey, um, I’m Mark.

Almost immediately, a response.

 **?:** lol I know

 **?:** I’m Yuta

Mark sucks in a breath, surprised.

But Yuta’s got to be a pretty common name in Japan, right? It can’t be that strange for Ten to know someone who has the same first name as Mark’s favorite idol. (Besides, if he’s being honest, Mark’s like 80 percent sure this is a prank by either Ten or Donghyuck, or both.)

 **Mark:** No shit! My favorite singer’s name is Yuta!

 **Mark:** What a coincidence, amirite?

 **(** ** _Maybe_ ** **: Yuta)?:** …

 **(** ** _Maybe_ ** **: Yuta)?:** Totally

 **(** ** _Maybe_ ** **: Yuta)?:** Nakamoto Yuta?

 **Mark:** Yeah, dude

 **Mark:** Man’s a god. I mean, have you seen his arms?

Since this is obviously some scheme by Ten or Donghyuck, Mark doesn’t even bother to make a cool impression and instead slips immediately into fanboy mode. He knows he’s giving his dumbass friends exactly the response they want, but if their idea of a prank is to make him wax poetic about Yuta, joke’s on them.

 **(** ** _Maybe_ ** **: Yuta)?:** I...yes?

 **(** ** _Maybe_ ** **: Yuta)?:** You know I’m Yuta, right?

 **(** ** _Maybe_ ** **: Yuta)?:** Like *that* Yuta

 **Mark:** Of course you are, dude

 **Mark:** And Ten’s going to marry Johnny. Right after Hyuck stops stanning Moon Taeil and starts lusting after Lucas

Just because his friends want to have fun at his expense doesn’t mean Mark can’t dish it right back.

Then, from **Ten:** Don’t be gross, bitch

 **Mark (to Ten):** Language

 **Mark (to Ten):** (Also, don’t be a bitch, bitch)

 **(** ** _Maybe_ ** **: Yuta)?:** Ten says he’s a free spirit who, quote, “don’t need no man”

 **(** ** _Maybe_ ** **: Yuta)?:** And I thought Johnny was into that student council president guy

 **(** ** _Maybe_ ** **: Yuta)?:** He’s your brother, right?

 **Mark:** You know way too much about me for this to be legit

 **Mark:** I call bullshit

 **(** ** _Maybe_ ** **: Yuta)?:** Sorry?

 **(** ** _Maybe_ ** **: Yuta)?:** Ten’s my campus buddy. Apparently giving me the “hot goss” is part of his job

 **(** ** _Maybe_ ** **: Yuta)?:** He said you’re a fan

 **(** ** _Maybe_ ** **: Yuta)?:** It’s cool tho ( ´•̥̥̥▿•̥̥̥` )

 **Mark:** I hate you so much, Ten

 **Mark:** He uses those dumb emojis

 **Mark:** I love him

 **(** ** _Maybe_ ** **: Yuta)?:** Uh, thanks?

 **(** ** _Maybe_ ** **: Yuta)?:** Also, I guess you think I’m real now, huh?

 **Mark:** Shit.

Then, again from **Ten:** Language...lol

At that, Mark decides he needs to practice some self-care and give himself a minute away from his phone. (Read: Mark screams into the nearest pillow and throws his phone across the room.)

He gets up from the couch to make himself some boxed mac and cheese and considers the situation while his pasta water boils. Mentally, he makes a list.

Things Mark knows (or thinks he knows):

  1. Ten’s a terrible friend. But also sometimes he means well.
  2. Ten gave his number to some random person.
  3. Said random person is _probably_ real, _probably_ male, _probably_ a student at Mark’s university.
  4. Said random person is probably _not_ Nakamoto Yuta from NCT. But, it’s possible. Maybe.
  5. If this is going to happen to anyone, of course it’s Ten.



Mark adds the noodles to the boiling water and stands at the stovetop stirring absentmindedly.

It wouldn’t be so bad to let Ten hook him up with someone, would it? Granted, if Mark actually ends up liking the person, Ten will never let him live it down. Like they’ll be in their 50s and Ten will still be living on the clout of this one good thing. But Mark figures he can put up with an insufferable Ten if he’s happy and in love, so he decides to retrieve his phone, text “Yuta” back, and see what happens.

 **Mark:** I threw my phone across the room and cracked the screen

 **(** ** _Maybe_ ** **: Yuta)?:** Sucks, dude

 **(** ** _Maybe_ ** **: Yuta)?:** Is it fixable?

 **Mark:** Eh, maybe, but I’m hella broke so no

 **Ten:** Don’t ignore me, I did you a favor

 **Mark (to Ten):** I’m gonna tell Johnny you’re bullying me again

 **Ten:** Lies and slander

Then, from Ten, an image. Mark sighs, opens it warily, then throws his phone across the room again.

(In the picture, Ten can be seen smoldering at the camera while holding a finger heart. Next to him, looking, in Mark’s opinion, too beautiful to be real, is Nakamoto Yuta. He’s got his hand pressed to his mouth like he’s about to blow the camera a kiss and Mark wants to _die_.)

Once Mark’s regulated his breathing--though he’s 100 percent still freaking out--he goes to grab his phone again and realizes that he’s now broken it completely.

Deciding that’s a problem for another day, Mark drags out his aunt’s old laptop, waits impatiently for it to power on, and then spends another five minutes trying to remember what his skype password is. In the meantime, he smells something burning, suddenly remembers his boiling noodles, and nearly breaks an ankle trying to put out the mini fire on the stovetop before it can set off the alarm.

Finally, and probably at least 30 minutes later, Mark manages to get through to Ten on Skype.

“I almost died,” Mark laments, in lieu of a greeting.

“Sucks to be you,” Ten says, unperturbed. In the background, Mark can hear a familiar laugh and he remembers, suddenly, why he wanted to call Ten in the first place.

Still, first things first.

“I broke my phone,” he tells Ten. “Can you ask Johnny to let Mom know? I don’t know when I’ll be able to get a replacement so I’ll be stuck using this dinosaur until then.” Mark raises the laptop as though Ten can see it through the attached webcam, and he hears that familiar laugh again.

Ten looks at Mark like he’s not sure whether to be sympathetic or amused. “You’re an idiot,” he informs Mark. “I’ll tell Auntie about your phone myself.”

He pauses for a moment, then grins wickedly. Mark feels a little bit of whiplash and is reminded of that “get you a man who can do both” meme.

“Also, Yuta, come say hi.”

“Hi,” Yuta says, almost shyly, coming into view of the camera and waving when he sees Mark.

“Holy shit,” Mark curses breathlessly. “It’s really you. Ten, you lucky bitch.”

Yuta grins at that, suddenly much less bashful, and says, “You’re really cute, Mark.”

 _I can’t believe this is happening,_ Mark thinks, except he says it out loud and Ten laughs at him. Yuta, though, just looks pleased.

“We’ll have to meet up when you get back,” Yuta suggests. “Until then, try to get your phone fixed soon, yeah?”

Mark shrugs. “Still hella broke, but we’ll see what I can do.”

Yuta smiles mysteriously but doesn’t offer any other comment, and after a moment Ten interrupts to say that they have to go.

“Wow,” Mark teases, “I’m surprised you’re taking your duties as a campus buddy so seriously.”

Ten grumbles that Taeyong asked him to help out and they both know he’ll face Johnny’s wrath if he lets Taeyong down. “This is why I’m still single,” Ten tells Mark and Yuta. “Having a boyfriend is too much work.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Mark quips, not really thinking about it.

At that, Ten smirks. “Not yet, maybe.” Then he wiggles his fingers at the camera as Yuta bows slightly and gives Mark a quiet smile. “Bye, bitch!” Ten says and hangs up.

Mark thinks about the witty text he’d send to Yuta, trying to get the other man to smile. “Good luck with that one,” he’d write, then, in a perfect world, Yuta would send something back like “I wish it were you.” 

Instead, though Mark has no way of knowing this, Yuta turns to Ten after they hang up and declares, “For real though, he’s really cute. Can I send him a phone?”

And that’s that.

* * *

Two months, a new phone, and countless texts and video calls later, Mark walks into the on-campus cafe, orders a no-whip mocha frappuccino, and seats himself at a two-person table by the window.

He checks his phone and notices that it’s 11:11, but before he can make a wish, a tall man wearing all black from his shoes to his face mask and the cap he’s got pulled low over his eyes, approaches.

“Uh, hey,” he says tentatively. “Mark?”

Mark looks up from his phone, nodding. “Hey, um. I’m Mark, yeah.”

The stranger smiles, though Mark can only tell because the other man’s eyes curve beautifully above his mask.

“I know,” he says warmly, a laugh in his voice. “I’m Yuta.”

“No shit,” Mark says, echoing a conversation from what feels like forever ago, “my boyfriend’s name is Yuta.”

**Author's Note:**

> Head canon content that didn't make the cut:  
> \- (From when this was supposed to be a Twitter AU) Mark's Twitter: mark me in your heart @yoyoyobro; Hyuck's Twitter: Haechan’s Children™ @fullsunmoon; Yuta's personal Twitter: NEW culture technology @kpopkebab
> 
> \- Johnny and Mark are step brothers. Ten is Johnny's childhood bff since Ten and Johnny's moms moved to Korea around the same time and were each other's first friend.
> 
> \- Johnny's the head RA for the international student dorms and Taeyong's the student body president. Johnny's understandably whipped, Taeyong is interested but doesn't want to get a boyfriend until he graduates, and Johnny ends up spending his entire college career trying to get Taeyong to date him earlier than that.
> 
> \- NCT Regular, Irregular international album tracklist:  
> 1\. Regular (English Version) - All members (Yuta, Taeil, Lucas, Jaehyun, XiaoJun)  
> 2\. Bass Go Boom (Cantonese version) - Lucas  
> 3\. Purple (Korean version) - Taeil  
> 4\. Highway to Heaven (English version) - All members  
> 5\. Interlude: Black on Black (Japanese version) - Yuta  
> 6\. Without You (English version) - Jaehyun  
> 7\. Love Talk (Mandarin version) - Lucas, XiaoJun (featuring popular German Youtuber YangYang)  
> 8\. Chain (Japanese version) - All members  
> 9\. BONUS: Regular (Korean version) - All members  
> 10\. BONUS: Limitless (Korean version) - All members  
> 11\. Hidden track: The 7th Sense (English version) - All members


End file.
